Chapter 3

Malcolm hangs up the phone frustrated and lets out a deep growl. Edrisa is not returning any of his phone calls. She has been placed on temporary leave due to the case and he hates that he can't see her.

The case should have been open and shut two weeks ago. The narrative was easy to argue in court. Two women were attacked unprovoked, and it was easily self-defense. The perpetrator's death was accidental. The only problem was neither woman was talking to the police. It didn't matter if the police were the same ones trying to clear their names.

As he sits at the table overlooking the evidence once more, he can't help but feel Gil's dead stare beating down on him.

"What is it?" Malcolm asked with a bite to his voice. "You're staring."

Gil crosses his arms and gives him a look that his father is about to lecture him on the realities of life.

"Kid, what if she intentionally killed the victim to protect Ms. Amari?"

The question hangs in the air between the two men and Malcolm can feel his frustration grow. No way that his adorable and quirky Edrisa would intentionally kill anyone. She was too pure of a soul for that.

"The evidence doesn't point to an intentional kill," Malcolm assessed.

"How do you know?" Gil questioned.

"Gil, I just know," Malcolm snapped at him. "Edrisa is not capable of killing anyone. She would do everything she could to lead them away from Ms. Amari."

Malcolm's phone rang interrupting the conversation. Claremont Mental Hospital. He ignores it opting to refocus his efforts on the evidence in front of him.

It rings two more times and he reluctantly answers the call. He stepped out of the conference room and went to his desk.

"Bright," Malcolm answered.

"My boy, long time no speak," Martin greeted. "How are cases lately?"

Malcolm closes his eyes for a beat. "Great Dr. Whitly. What do you want?"

"Son, I had the most splendid visit. I wanted to tell you about it," he said.

Malcolm sighed heavily. "I need to get back to work. Whatever you discussed in your therapy group, I hope you got something useful out of it."

"Wait…someone came to me for therapy. It was wonderful and delightful. I believe it's Edrisa. Am I correct son?"

Malcolm's paused. The words didn't make sense to him. Why would Edrisa see his father?

"You're lying," Malcolm refuted.

"No, I'm not. Edrisa is a lovely woman. Highly intelligent and a little naïve. Oh, her crush on you is quite noticeable."

The fist that was now forming as his father spoke slammed into his desk. "What did you do?"

"I wouldn't hurt your friends. I simply answered her questions. She is terrified. Malcolm, she needs our help and I will offer my services."

"Services? No…your "help" is not required. Do not speak to her again," Malcolm sneered.

Martin laughed off Malcolm's statement. "My boy, I cannot refuse her. What's the problem with dear old dad making sure our Edrisa does not spend the next twenty years in prison?"

The way his father said "our Edrisa" rubbed him the wrong way. She could not get caught in this web of dysfunction. "I need to go," Malcolm stated and immediately hung up the phone.

xxxx

Edrisa listened to Kevin and his parents speak about her case as if she wasn't in the room. She spent the last two weeks fretting about her future. The words guilty and life in prison ring loudly in her head. Most nights she wakes up sweating or screaming as the nightmares become more vivid.

Sometimes, her dreams where she is actively participating in the kill scare her the most. She doesn't know why it is happening and she hasn't told her parents about it.

Edrisa knows she should not have but the source in the form of Martin Whitly was right there. She starts to second guess if she's missing a piece of information. Did she have a lapse in time and kill the victim in cold blood? Was it truly self-defense?

In speaking with Martin Whitly, perhaps she could get some answers into her own state of mind.

"…Edrisa, did you hear me?" her mother asked.

Edrisa blinked at her mother. "No. What did you say?"

The older woman placed her arm around Edrisa's shoulder. "Sweetheart, you know what, it was just about dinner. Don't worry. Try to get some rest. We'll be back in no time."

Edrisa watched her parents leave but Kevin stayed behind. The man felt more like a bodyguard than a lawyer at times, but their past bonded them.

"Dri…your mother is right. Get some rest. I'll work on getting Ms. Amari to talk."

Edrisa shook her head in disagreement. "Kevin, she's scared. She doesn't want to implicate me or herself. It doesn't matter if we were defending ourselves, look at us. We had the nerve to speak up against white supremacy and thought and now a man is dead. We're dead."

Kevin approached her. "I promise you that not one will be spent behind a jail cell."

"Maybe by a miracle but my career is tanked if this leaks to the news."

"It won't," Kevin assured. "I killed the story."

Edrisa ran her fingers through her hair. "For now, at least." She turned from him. "I need to lay down."

xxxx

Malcolm rang Edrisa's doorbell incessantly. "Come on Edrisa, answer the door."

The door opened. "Thank God. Edr-

He paused in suspicion at seeing Kevin answer her door. "Mr. Bright."

"Mr. Sato, why are you here?" Malcolm questioned.

Kevin tilted his head in a way that to Malcolm screamed protective yet suspicious of him. In another time, he would appreciate someone caring for Edrisa but something nagged at him.

"Where is Edrisa?"

"She's unavailable," he said. Malcolm's irritation at being stonewalled again was mounting.

"I need to speak with her. It's important."

Kevin stepped forward effectively shielding Malcolm from the entrance. "She's my client and you're the police. Anything she says you will use against her. I know you and your colleagues are her friends but-

Malcolm pushed his way past Kevin. "No buts. This conversation needs to be had. Where is she? Edrisa!"

In the other room, Edrisa had barely closed her eyes long enough before the doorbell rang. Before she could rise again, she heard Kevin's voice and soon Bright's. Judging by the delay of Malcolm's entrance, she could tell Kevin was trying to block his visit. In truth, she wasn't ready to see any of them especially Malcolm.

Their relationship or association was fragile before the incident and now, she doesn't know where they will go from here.

Then, she hears him scream her name and she jumps. His voice sounds tense and agitated. She breathes deep and opens the door.

xxxx

"Edrisa!"

"Hey, knock it off," Kevin said.

Both men hear footsteps approach the living room. Malcolm lets out a breath at seeing her.

"It's alright Kevin. I'll speak to Bright. Please give us a minute," she said.

Kevin went around Malcolm and whispered to Edrisa. Malcolm waited impatiently for the man to leave as Edrisa gave him the reassuring nod that she would be alright.

As soon as Kevin exited the apartment, Edrisa seemed to have moved twenty feet away from Malcolm. She didn't trust him. She didn't trust herself with him. That assessment hurt him because he was the cause of it.

"How are you Edrisa?"

She didn't want to answer his question. Answering his question will cause her to say things that she should keep hidden.

"Fine," she said quietly.

"Edrisa, please be honest with me," he pleaded earnestly.

Edrisa shook her head no. "Honesty with you is my kryptonite, remember."

Malcolm ignored the quip opting to approach her in a friendly manner. He sat next to her on the couch and turned his body so she had his undivided attention.

"I screwed up. I know I hurt you. I will regret that because it was foolish. I didn't think about anyone's feelings. I'm here. Please don't push me away. The team and I are working on proving your innocence."

Edrisa put her head in her hands. "A man is dead. I don't know how but his blood got on my clothes, my hands, my face. I –

"Did nothing wrong," Malcolm finished.

His voice full of conviction. A conviction she didn't feel worthy of. She needed to end this conversation.

"Look, my parents will be here with dinner soon. You need to go."

She stood walking towards the door. Malcolm rushed to stand. "Wait, I need to know something. Why did you visit Dr. Whitly?"

Edrisa stopped in her tracks. Her heart pounded in her chest. She can feel Malcolm's body heat as he got closer waiting for her answer. Waiting for the logic behind visiting a serial killer.

She slowly turned towards his concerned and worried eyes. "The real reason you came over was because you were fishing for information."

"No. I came because I'm your friend and I'm worried. You won't return my calls. You visited my father which doubles my worry. I want to help you. Let me."

"I have a lawyer Bright," she refuted. The use of his last name again didn't sit well with him.

"What did Mr. Sato say to you before he left?"

Edrisa's jaw moved. Now she was agitated at him. Malcolm didn't want this gulf between them. It wasn't right. He missed her. He missed her light and he could tell she was drowning in the sea of darkness.

"Attorney-client privilege, right?" Edrisa stated. "Please go."

"Edrisa, listen to me. When I saw a body on the ground, I thought it was you. My blood ran cold. The grief that threatened to take hold was strong. I thought I lost my best friend. The one person who understood me and messed up self. The one person whose light can brighten up anyone's day. Trust me, please."

Her heart pricked at his words. Another day and another time, it would be easy to give into his trust. In this moment, she cannot afford to fall apart in front of him. How can she fully trust him? Risking her heart is too much.

"Say hello to the team Bright." She effectively turns from him and opens her front door. He looks defeated when he walks by her.

"I'm not giving up on you," he tells her emphatically. He locks eyes with her. "I refuse to."

"Goodbye," she says quietly and closes the door.

xxxx

Kevin watches from the car as Malcolm walks down the street. He is on the phone. "He's left her apartment."

The voice on the other end speaks. "Are you sure you want to proceed?"

"Time to implement phase two of the plan."